Page 69 of My Lucky Charm

What was that?

I’m frozen in the dimly lit space outside the back room at Bianchi’s, watching a coatless Gray maneuver through the restaurant and out the door.

My entire body is pulsing, every nerve inside of me on high alert. My head, in Raya’s voice, is telling me to let him walk away. I’m his assistant.

I will not repeat the Jay Mistake.

But I remember how it felt to have Gray’s hands tangled in my hair. I remember the way he looked at me the second he pulled away.

And while I know it’s illogical—stupid even—I grab his coat and mine from the nearby coat rack and follow him out into the parking lot.

The blustery winter air shocks my skin the second I open the door, but I ignore it. I scan the lot, and when I spot his car, I hurry over, slipping my coat on as I do. The lights of the car come on as the engine starts, and I freeze like a criminal under the harsh white lights of an interrogation room.

What am I doing?

I’m blocking his exit, and I can feel his eyes on me. I can feel the heat gathering at my core.

This is a mistake.

I should run the other way.

I shouldn’t be thinking about him—not like this.

But then the car door opens. His face is shadowed, but I can make out enough of it to know that Gray isn’t happy. He pauses, one hand on the roof of the SUV, the other on the door, but says nothing.

I should just give him his coat and run back inside before anything stupid happens.

But I can’t. It’s like I’ve got cinder blocks for shoes.

I draw in a breath as he slams the door shut and walks toward me, straight into the lights from the car behind him. Without a shred of hesitation, he reaches for me and then his lips are on mine.

The first kiss was a favor to me. But this—this is all for him.

And it’s clear by the way he pulls my body into his that he’s been thinking about this for a while. I drop the coat and wrap my hands around his back, pulling his body closer as I give in to the kiss, admitting to him that I’ve been thinking about it too. My knees want to buckle as his hands move from my face into my hair, and I let every logical thought drain from my mind.

The kiss is full and exciting, passionately frenzied and yet he’s in complete control. It sparks something inside of me, something intoxicating. I note the way he holds me, the way he kisses—firm and purposeful, but with a contradictory gentleness that makes my stomach somersault.

The sound of people exiting the restaurant shatters the beautiful bubble we’re standing in, and Gray pulls back, searching my eyes. I’m out of breath, my lips tingling, raw and wanting. But I can see reality washing over him. This was a mistake.

He shakes his head, loosening his grip on me. “I’m sorry—we can’t do this. Not again.”

I frown. “What do you mean—not again?”

He pulls his hands back and looks away, an admission he didn’t mean to slip.

“You do remember,” I say, realizing.

He pushes a hand through his hair. “I have to go.”

I reach out and grab his arm before he can leave. “Why did you pretend not to recognize me?”

He swallows, gaze dipping to my lips, then back to my eyes, but then, to my surprise, he takes a step toward me. “Because I knew this would happen.” He steadies my gaze, but my heart is beating like a herd of wild horses. “And this can’t happen.”

He looks like someone strapped with a backpack parachute in a plane, muscles all twitched and tense, unsure when to jump.

“Eloise. I can’t. I . . . just can’t.”

And then, he’s gone. He gets in his car and drives away, leaving me breathless and bewildered, and really, really wanting more.

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